Government Funded Registry of Homophobic Acts

I was very disheartened this week to find out that there is now in Canada, in Quebec to be exact, a Government-funded Registry of Homophobic Acts.

Yep. A registry.

This is the long story short. If ANYONE finds out about something they consider homophobic they are supposed to send an anonymous tip to the government. The name of the person who committed that homophobic act will be tracked in a government file.

Sound a little Big Brother-ish?

A government black list

Included in the definition of actions classified as “homophobic” and deemed worthy of reporting to the registry are “any negative word or act toward a homosexual or homosexuality in general: physical abuse, verbal abuse, intimidation, harassment, offensive graffiti, abuse, injurious mockery, inappropriate media coverage and discrimination.”

A press release from the group says that anyone who has experienced or witnessed an act of homophobia “must” report it to the registry of homophobic acts.

Will you be blacklisted for homophobia?

So… let’s think through this together.

Let’s say you are in Quebec. And let’s say you are a Christian who believes the Bible to be literal and inspired by God, and therefore believes that homosexuality is a sin.

Or perhaps you just disapprove of homosexuality as an unhealthy life choice.

Or maybe the idea just grosses you out.

Let’s say you hypothetically said this out loud – whether in a public venue or in a conversation in the privacy of your home. Anyone who hears your comment is apparently supposed to report your supposedly “homophobic act” to the government. Your name would be on their ‘list’.

Imagine what might happen to those who are in a place of employment working with or for someone who is gay or lesbian.

If they are Christian, just as an example, any little thing they do could be seen or interpreted as an homophobic act. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is often conviction, not necessarily because of anything that is said or done, but because He works on those whom He wills to work on.

There is NO REQUIREMENT to prove that what you did actually WAS homophobic.

Okay. So my name goes on a list. So what’s the big deal? Is there something I should be concerned about?

And I quote:

Laurent McCutcheon, President of Gai Ecoute, boasted that the registry was the first of its kind in the world. “We created it to know the real situation of homophobia,” he said. “The compilation and analysis of these data will better identify the problem and will enable us to act at the level of prevention.”

Wow. They intend to use the list to “act” at the level of prevention. What kind of “acts” are they talking about?

They’re not saying. It could be just about anything. But it’s a Justice Ministry supported program, and the Justice Ministry has a massive multi-million dollar budget dedicated to “The Fight Against Homophobia”.

Scary.

Christians in Quebec

So what do Christians in Quebec think about this? Here’s another quote that gives one example:

Georges Buscemi President of the Montreal-based pro-life and pro-family group Campagne Quebec Vie told LifeSiteNews he saw the registry as a “means to instill a climate of oppression and fear to anyone who disagrees with any of the opinions of the homosexualist movement in Quebec.”

“Anyone who might believe that a homosexual act is unacceptable at a moral level” is being sent a warning “that they will end up on a list,” he said. “A list to be used for a future purpose which in my opinion is to punish.”

Buscemi goes on to say this is ‘soft persecution’ in Canada. He believes this list will be used against all those who don’t agree with homosexual lifestyles and that this list will be there to haunt us and hunt us in the future.

Dangerous Precedent?

Can you think of any other government lists of this sort? I can.

A list with names of Jews.

A list with the names of black people.

A list with names of Tutsis.

That’s just a few.

Thankfully this is currently only in Quebec.

They are priding themselves on being the first IN THE WORLD to have a Homophobic Acts Registry.

But it is the scariest thing I’ve seen in years.

Homophobic is whatever they want it to be

I am not homophobic. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines homophobia as:

I have no fear of homosexuals, nor do I have an aversion to them. I know several, have had them into my home, and would spend more time with many of them if I could. The aversion I have to the practice of homosexuality comes from two things:

First, I am not homosexual and simply consider homosexual acts to be disgusting.

Second, the Bible clearly teaches that homosexual acts are wrong and destructive, and therefore to be avoided. (As is heterosexual sex outside of marriage, for that matter.)

Neither of these things are irrational. In my opinion. But whose opinion will they be measuring by?

In practice anyone who disagrees with a homosexual, or with homosexuality, or with pro-homosexual groups or initiatives here in Canada is likely to get hit with the homophobia label.

So we have a list. It’s essentially a promise that if you dare to disagree with or get in the way of the homosexual agenda you will be punished.

And if that list spreads here in Canada, it will likely have my name on it. Scary as that is.

God has called Christians to stand up for Truth. To stand up for Him. To be a light in a dark world. And if my name must be on a list in order to ‘light up’, well, then so be it.

In the meantime I will continue to bless those homosexual people God puts in my path. I will love them. I will serve them. I will laugh and eat with them.

But I will continue to tell the truth that homosexual activity is a sin.

What about you?

Would you speak up about your beliefs if it might get your name “listed”?

What does this news do to your faith, your resolve, your fear level?

Will knowing this information affect if and how you speak up about homosexuality?

Very sad. The troubling thing is, they have it all wrong. Or maybe they have it right. I mean, I have a good friend who considers herself to be homosexual. I really care about her but I don’t care for her lifestyle.

By having it right I mean…..if one is sinning, and doesn’t want to face it, one needs to justify it. And you can justify it if you make everyone else stop telling you it’s a sin.

So it all makes sense. The thinking here is all mixed up in our world today. Sadly, many Christians don’t know how to speak the truth winsomely.

Just checked this out and there is actually is no place to put a name except for a “Description of Instrument” field that allows for 1000 characters. There are no name fields on the form. Guess it just may make them feel better for “reporting” something. Not sure how they plan on using this data though.